The Bronx Daily

Final Spring Round Up

Andy Pettitte pitched pain free 1 hit ball through six innings as the lefty is on track to start Saturday night against the Rays. He threw 77 pitches in the outing and said, "I feel great; everything felt good today. I got a lot of work in and was able to work on some stuff down the stretch." When asked if he would be ready on April 5th he said, "I'm all set. Did I have to get to 77 pitches today because I'm a little short [and] behind everybody? Yeah, but I'm ready for my start." He should be able to get close to 100 pitches in his first start.

Ian Kennedy also had a final tune up today and is set to pitch on Friday. Kennedy threw 76 pitches in five innings and ended up only giving up 4 earned runs all Spring. I look for Kennedy to win as many as 14 or 15 games this season.

Derek Jeter is fine after bruising his pinky finger. Jeter said it would take more than that for him to miss the game. He is fine, no worries here.

Finally, for all of you worried about Morgan Ensberg wearing Paul O'Neill's number 21, you can rest easy tonight. Out of respect for Paul, Ensberg will wear the number 11.

Are you excited yet? Opening day is tomorrow. I can't wait! If anyone is going and takes some pictures, would you email them to me and I will put them on the blog.

Hughes Looks Great in Last Spring Game

Phil Hughes threw 5 innings giving up 3 hits and 2 runs (1 earned) with a walk and 4 strikeouts as he looked the part of a young ace as the Yankees finished up Spring Training on a high note defeating the Florida Marlins 4-2. The Yankees ended the Spring at 14-12-2 and look ready to win another American League East title.

Traber, Rivera, Farnsworth, Bruney, Chamberlain, and Ohlendorf combined to pitch 4 shut out innings and showed that pitching would be good from start to finish for the Bombers this year. The bullpen will be stronger than it has been in years past and Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera will make the most fearsome back end of a bullpen in baseball.

Jason Giambi went 2-3 and is hitting .413 this Spring. Giambi feels better than he has felt since his second year with the Yankees and is poised for a huge season. At 37, if he can stay healthy there is no reason he will not hit 35 home runs and solidify the line up.

When asked about his health Jason said, "My body feels great. I'm excited about the way I'm swinging the bat. Everything has been going well. I learned a lot about the problem that I had so I cleaned that up. My legs feel great."

With the rest of the line up and the exciting young pitching, a healthy productive Giambi could lead the team to 100 wins. Go Yankees!

Steinbrenner Field is Open!

Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" played as Legends Field became George M Steinbrenner Stadium. Steinbrenner, with his wife who threw out the first pitch, his sons, daughter, and son in law enjoyed the ceremony as the man synonymous with Yankees baseball was honored in Tampa, Florida.

The 77 year old boss has turned control over to his sons Hank and Hal as rumors of his declining health have surfaced. George looked great today though as he was paraded around the stadium waving to the crowd. It was an honor well deserved!

Jeter Homers, Yanks Lose

Derek Jeter hit a home run but the suddenly quiet Yankees bats managed only 5 hits as they lost to the Pirates 5-2. Kei Igawa looked poor again giving up 5 hits 4 runs and 3 walks in 3.1 innings. Let's hope we do not see him for long in Yankees pinstripes.

The teams lackluster performances of late may be the boredom that comes during the last week of Spring Training. The team just needs to be able to turn it on Monday when they face the Blue Jays.

The big news now is the controversy surrounding opening day at Yankees stadium and Reggie Jackson. Fans wonder why Yogi Berra or Whitey Ford are not doing it. The other news is that Bob Sheppard, reportedly in his late 90's, will not be there working the PA microphone. Where do you stand on Reggie and the first pitch?

Wang Knocked Around Again

Chien-Ming Wang was knocked around again in his final start of the Spring. Wang's fastball was hanging and the Philadelphia Phillies took advantage of it scoring 4 runs on 6 hits in 5 innings. Wang also walked 2 and his Spring ERA is 8.04.

There is some concern with Wang but he will pitch opening day for the Yankees. The Yankees believe he will be fine but if he can not locate his pitches, he could get off to a slow start. Let's hope he gets it figured out in a bullpen session before next week.

The Yankees hitters were quiet through 6 innings but Phillies ace Brett Myers was dealing today. Through six at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Florida the Phillies lead 4-0.

Cano and Giambi Continue Hot Springs

Robinson Cano and Jason Giambi have continued to stay hot through spring training both sporting batting averages about .400. Today in a 7-5 loss to the Cleveland Indians, Cano went 3-4 with 2 doubles while Giambi went 2-4 with a double. Cano who had been hampered with back problems seems to be just fine as he hits a cool .464. Giambi is hoping for a return to being one of the most feared sluggers in the league and from how he has hit this spring, this could be a great year for him.

Ian Kennedy was not at his best today but he will be fine and is ready for the season. Kyle Farnsworth pitched another scoreless inning and also looks ready to contribute. All in all the team looks good and is ready for opening day.

Hughes Strong, Yankees Bats Jumping

Phil Hughes found his fastball and located it well with the exception of one pitch. Hughes pitched 5 innings giving up 3 hits and 3 runs striking out 6 and walking 2. With the exception of a homerun surrendered to Phillies third baseman Pedro Feliz, he was strong. He did use too many pitches and only lasted 5 innings, but all in all he looks ready for the season.

Billy Traber emerged as the left handed reliever the team has been searching for. After a long list following Mike Stanton, the team may have found what they were looking for. Traber did give up a run on 3 hits tonight but his 1.17 ERA gives the Yankees hope that he will be a major contributor to the bullpen.

The Yankees line up batted around in the 5th inning scoring 6 times while they added 4 more runs in the 6th inning. Jason Giambi, Robinson Cano, and Melky Cabrera all homered while the team had 19 hits through 6 innings. The team is ready to start the season and showed it tonight!

Yankees Absorb Rare Loss

With mostly the "B" squad on the trip, the Yankees lost 8-0 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Matsui and Woodward contributed the only 2 Yankees hits and Morgan Ensberg went 0-3 making his chances of sticking with the team slimmer. Ensburg may be fighting for his baseball life in the last week of Spring Training as he may not have a job come March 31.

In other news Mike Mussina threw 83 pitches over 7 innings giving up a run in a minor league game to get his work in. Mussina will get one more start before the season starts. He was happy with the execution and feel on his curveballs and changeups. He threw 62 strikes so his control is definitely there.

Coming up, Phil Hughes will take the ball in Tampa tomorrow against the NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies at 7:15pm.

Yankees Rained Out

The Yankees preview of opening day against the Blue Jays was rained out today. The only notable news was Jonathan Albaladejo giving up 6 runs in 1/3 of an inning. Kyle Farnsworth also pitched a scoreless inning. The Yankees had no hits in the game.

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Pettitte Scratched with Back Pain

Andy Pettitte was scratched from his start today with back spasms. This is the second game he has missed because of back issues although he feels he will be ready to make his first regular season start on April 2nd against the Blue Jays.

Pettitte's health is a concern as he will be expected to be a veteran presence with Mike Mussina on a young pitching staff. The 35-year-old felt tightness while driving home from Legends Field on Thursday and received treatment for about five hours on Friday.

"It's pretty sad when you get to the age when you make a sudden move and stuff happens," Pettitte said. "It's kind of frustrating."

Pettitte is scheduled to make his final Grapefruit League start on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The team believes he will be able to make close to 100 pitches when he starts the season.